The Magic Umbrella

By Kathy WarnesPlayers Debby’s Mother The Umbrella Man Janet’s Mother Janet’s Father Debby Mrs. Falstaff, the 5th Grade Teacher Mary Janet Paul Paul’s father Henry the Dog (Henry has such long hair he looks like a mop) The children are playing on one corner of the stage in a wooden box. PAUL I’m tired of playing in the sand! I wish there was something else for us to do. MARY We could go swimming. DEBBY We can’t do that unless there’s grown up with us. JANET Why don’t we play on the merry-go-round? PAUL I get tired of pushing the merry-go-round. JANET I’ll push this time. PAUL You never do. You just say you will and when the time comes to push, you let me do all of the pushing. MARY (Pointing) Who’s that? (The Umbrella man walks on stage. He is carrying an open umbrella over his head.) UMBRELLA MAN Hello there, oh hello there, I say, Would you like to buy a magic umbrella today? DEBBY A magic umbrella? Why is that magic? UMBRELLA MAN When you the umbrella it starts to rain. DEBBY Are you sure? I never heard of an umbrella like that. UMBRELLA MAN All you do is sing: Rain, rain, please come to stay, I want to use my umbrella today! Then the rain starts. PAUL I don’t believe it. Show me! (The children gather around the umbrella man and he closes the umbrella and then opens it again.) UMBRELLA MAN Rain, rain, please come to stay, I want to use my umbrella today. (He looks up and paper rain falls down on everyone) See how easy it is. JANET I’d like to have an umbrella like that. PAUL How much would it cost? UMBRELLA MAN I can let you have it for ten pennies, one-tenth of a dollar. PAUL (Checking his pockets) I have two pennies. JANET I have three. DEBBY I have two pennies. MARY I have three. DEBBY (Collects the pennies and hands them to the Umbrella man) There you are Mr. Umbrella man, ten pennies. UMBRELLA MAN I thank you very much indeed, And many you get all the rain you need! (He runs off stage jingling the pennies) DEBBY I’m going to use the umbrella first. PAUL No, me! MARY I want a turn. DEBBY We can say eeny meeny, miny, mo. PAUL Eeny! JANET Meeny! MARY Miny! PAUL Mo! DEBBY Catch a dinosaur by the toe! PAUL If he hollers, JANET Let him go. DEBBY Tom Tyrannosaurus told me to choose the very best one. O.U.T. spells out you go! (She spins around and points to Paul) Ohh, Paul gets to open the umbrella first. MARY Some people are lucky. DEBBY Open it Paul. PAUL (Opening the umbrella) Rain, rain, come to stay, I want to use my umbrella today. (Nothing happens) DEBBY It’s not working. MARY Try it again! PAUL Rain, rain, come to stay, I want to use my umbrella today. (Again, nothing happens) DEBBY Let me try it. (She takes the umbrella from Paul and puts it up.) Rain, rain, please come to stay, I want to use my umbrella today! (Paper rain falls) PAUL Why did it work for you and not for me? DEBBY You have to say please or it won’t work. MARY Let me try it. (She takes the umbrella from Debby) Rain, rain, please come to say, I want to use my umbrella today. (Paper rain falls) DEBBY Let’s take the umbrella home and show our folks. It’s hard to believe we own a magic umbrella! JANET Who takes the umbrella first? DEBBY I’ll take it first. Then I’ll bring it over to your house, Janet. JANET I’ll be waiting. (Janet, Mary, and Paul go off to the side of the stage. Debby walks over to her mother who is dusting a chair sitting in the center of the sage) DEBBY Mom, you’ll never in a million years guess my secret! DEBBY’S MOTHER I won’t even try, so tell me your secret. DEBBY I have a magic umbrella that makes it rain whenever I want it too. DEBBY’S MOTHER I’m glad you have a magic umbrella , Debby, but right now I want you to quit playing and help me dust this furniture. Here’s a rag. (She hands Debby a rag) DEBBY It really is a magic umbrella, Mom. All I have to do is put it up and it starts raining. DEBBY’S MOTHER Why would you want an umbrella that makes it rain? DEBBY (Opens up the umbrella) See how it works, Mom? Rain, rain, please come to say, I want to use my umbrella today. (Paper rain comes down all over the chair and Debby’s mother.) DEBBY’S MOTHER Debby, close that umbrella and go to your room! Look at the mess you’ve made in here! DEBBY But mom, it’s magic! DEBBY’S MOTHER Put that umbrella away and go to your room. DEBBY I promised Janet that I would give her the umbrella. Can I take it over to her house? Please? DEBBY’S MOTHER Come right back. DEBBY I will, mom. (Debby walks over to where Janet’s mother is sitting on a chair reading a magazine and Janet is standing next to her mother. Debby knocks on an imaginary door and Janet answers her knock.) Here’s the umbrella, Janet, but be careful. It got me in a lot of trouble. JANET (Taking the umbrella) I’ll be careful. DEBBY Don’t forget to give it to Mary when you’re finished with it. JANET I won’t. (She goes back by her mother and Debby and her mother go offstage.) JANET’S MOTHER Who was that at the door, Janet? JANET It’s my turn to use the magic umbrella that we bought this afternoon, and Debby brought it over to me. JANET’S MOTHER (Laughing) Magic umbrella! How is it magic? JANET I’ll show you. (She puts the umbrella up) Rain, rain, come to stay, I want to use my umbrella today. (Nothing happens.) What’s wrong? It worked before. JANET’S MOTHER It’s just an ordinary umbrella. JANET Oh, I know. Rain, rain, PLEASE come to stay, I want to use my umbrella today. (Paper rain falls all over Janet’s mother and her magazine.) JANET’S MOTHER Janet, shut off that umbrella! Right now. Just look at my magazine! Just look at my hair! JANET It’s magic, mom. It makes rain! JANET’S MOTHER Get it out of here! JANET O.K. Mom. (She takes the umbrella and goes over to Paul’s house and knocks on the door. Paul opens it.) Here’s the magic umbrella, Paul. It’s your turn to use it. PAUL Oh boy! Thank you Janet. JANET Watch out for that umbrella. It got me in trouble! PAUL I’ll keep it in my room. JANET Don’t forget to give it to Mary when you’re done with it. PAUL I won’t forget. JANET Can I get the magic umbrella back some day, Mom? (She and her mother walk offstage) PAUL (Takes the umbrella and sits on a chair.) I wonder what I’ll do with my umbrella first. PAUL’S FATHER (Coming into the room) What have you got there, Paul? PAUL A magic umbrella, Dad. PAUL’S FATHER What’s magic about it? PAUL All I have to do is open it and say: Rain, rain, please come to stay, I want to use my umbrella today. (Paper rain falls all over Paul’s father.) And it rains. PAUL’S FATHER (Shouting.) Yes, I see it rains. It just rained all over my good suit. Now get that umbrella out of this house, young man, before you get in trouble. PAUL O.K., Dad. (He grabs the umbrella and runs over to Mary’s house and knocks on the door. Mary opens it.) PAUL Here’s the magic umbrella, Mary. It’s your turn now. MARY Thank you, Paul. PAUL Be very, very careful of the magic umbrella, Mary. It almost got me in trouble. (He and his father go offstage) MARY (Taking the umbrella into her house) I think I’ll see if this works in the bath tub. She holds the umbrella over the bathtub.) Rain, rain, come to stay. I want to use my umbrella today. (Multi-colored paper rain falls) MARY It works! (She takes out an oversized telephone and calls Janet.) Janet, come over quick! I have a surprise for you. (Janet knocks on the bathroom door and Mary throws purple rain on her) The umbrella works, Janet! JANET Let’s see what Henry thinks of the magic umbrella! MARY Oh no, we can’t do that! JANET Why not? MARY Because Henry… JANET Rain, rain, please come to stay I want to use my umbrella today. (The umbrella rains colored drops of rain on Henry’s hair.) MARY Watch out, Janet! Henry always shakes when he comes in from the… Henry the dog reaches into his hair and pulls out confetti rain. He throws it at Janet and Mary and they throw it back. JANET Or confetti snow! (They have a confetti snowball fight with Henry the Dog) CURTAIN

Copyright Notice

All material on this website is copyrighted. I am more than glad to share these materials as long as I am credited as being the author. Please feel free to download the free PDFs and use them. You can contact me at: kathywarnes@gmail.com or kathywarnes@yahoo.com